Obama: NATO summit in 2014 will focus on Afghanistan

May. 31, 2013 - 02:11PM
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President Obama and the head of NATO said Friday that they are planning a summit next year to put the final touches on the end of combat operations in Afghanistan.

"What we agreed to is that in order for us to facilitate this entire process, it would be appropriate for us to have another NATO summit next year," Obama said after an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

Most of the troops supplied by the United States and its allies are scheduled to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

The NATO summit will also included a discussion about post-2014 assistance to Afghanistan

Rasmussen said his organization will continue to "train, advise and assist" Afghanistan on its democratic transition. While the goal is an Afghanistan "that can stand on its own feet," Rasmussen added that "the Afghans will not stand alone."

The exact dates and site of the summit have yet to be determined.

In addition to Afghanistan, Obama and Rasmussen said they discussed cybersecurity and joint military exercises among other topics.

Obama declined to respond to questions about whether the leaders also talked about the civil war in Syria.